Max Gemma, 29, pleaded not guilty to charges of hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence during his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court in the fatal stabbing of Joseph Comunale, whose corpse was found in a shallow grave in New Jersey.

Gemma, a computer software salesman, was released after his dad posted $200,000 bond, putting up his Oceanport, NJ, home as collateral.

Gemma face up to seven years in prison if convicted.

His defense attorney, Mark Bederow, argued that Gemma should not even be charged in the case.

“There’s nothing that leads us to believe he is even a suspect in the actual homicide,” Bederow told the court. “He has not been charged with any of the horrific acts that occurred with the body. And we have no reason to believe that he will be charged with that, because we know it didn’t happen.”

“They believe that because he changed his clothes, he must somehow be involved,” Bederow said.” But there’s no evidence to that, this indictment is based on nothing more than the idea that he changed his clothes.”

Gemma’s clothes were believed to have been found in the garbage “with blood on them,” a police source said.